Rising upon the hill as the visitor overlooks the plain of Messara, the magical image of the silent, ancient ruins of the palace remains indelible. With a relatively short climb long the stone road one arrives at the palace of Phaistos. It was built and flourished in the same era as Knossos, around 2.000 BC by King Minos’ brother Rhadamanthus, reputedly the one who drafted the Cretan Code, a first kind of legislation, later adopted by other cultures. Phaistos was destroyed twice, but after the second destruction was again rebuilt, issued its own currency and enjoyed a period of prosperity up to the first century BC. The buildings among which the visitor walks date from between 4150-1700 BC. A remarkable find, the famous Phaistos Disc still remains an unsolved mystery. Despite the best efforts of the archaeologists, its use and context is still unknown.
An equally important archaeological site, within walking distance from Phaistos, on the banks of the river Geropotamos, surrounded with outstanding natural beauty, is the Agia Triada (Holy Trinity). Built around 1600BC, it was to be inhabited by the king of Phaistos, either as a royal villa in the event of the destruction of Phaistos, or as a summer residence. Outstanding among the findings of the small palace are the masterful stone vases and a unique stone sarcophagus decorated with griffins and pictures from the funeral procession set aside for the burial of a prince.